Five New Blood Tests: Heart Health, Insulin Resistance, Immunity and More

We have added five tests to the range. Three of them answer questions we are asked often: what sits behind a cholesterol result, whether insulin is working as hard as it should, and whether the vitamins and minerals people take actually show up in their blood. All five are run by the same accredited laboratory as the rest of our tests, and the results land in your account in the same way.

The new tests at a glance

• Heart Health, £95. Full cholesterol profile plus ApoA1, ApoB, the ApoB to ApoA1 ratio, lipoprotein (a) and high-sensitivity CRP. Clinic (venous).
• Vitamins and Minerals, £135. B12, active B12, vitamin D and folate, with magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, zinc and ferritin. Clinic (venous).
• Immunity, £145. Full blood count, IgA, IgG and IgM, CRP, B12, active B12, vitamin D and ferritin. Finger-prick kit or clinic.
• Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), £95. HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and the laboratory's HOMA-IR calculation. Clinic (venous), fasting.
• hs-CRP, £45. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein on its own. Finger-prick kit or clinic.

A clinic appointment adds £25, which covers the blood draw and the courier to the laboratory. The finger-prick kit is free, and so is the postage both ways.

Heart Health: the markers behind a cholesterol result

A standard cholesterol test reports how much cholesterol is carried in your blood. Heart Health keeps that full profile and adds the markers people increasingly ask about: apolipoprotein B and A1 and the ratio between them, lipoprotein (a), and high-sensitivity CRP. If you have already had a cholesterol test and want to see further, this is the panel for it. If you only want the standard lipids, the Cholesterol Profile remains the simpler choice.

Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR): glucose and insulin together

HbA1c and fasting glucose describe blood sugar. This panel adds fasting insulin, and the laboratory combines the fasting glucose and fasting insulin into the HOMA-IR calculation, which it reports alongside its own reference information. It needs a fasting venous sample: at least 8 hours with plain water only, so a morning appointment is easiest. For HbA1c and glucose alone, see HbA1c and Fasting Glucose.

Vitamins and Minerals: one order instead of several

This venous panel puts the vitamins people check most often next to the main minerals, so you are not ordering four or five single tests. Potassium has to be spun soon after it is taken, which is why this panel is clinic only. If you want vitamins alone by finger-prick, Vitamin D and B12 still covers vitamin D, B12, active B12 and folate.

Immunity: blood counts and immune proteins

Immunity combines a full blood count with the three main antibody classes (IgA, IgG and IgM), CRP, and the vitamins and iron store most often looked at beside them. It works by finger-prick or at a clinic. One honest limit: platelets and the white cell breakdown are only reported on venous samples, so choose a clinic appointment if you want those.

hs-CRP on its own

High-sensitivity CRP uses a more sensitive method than the standard CRP test, so it reports lower concentrations. It is often taken beside a lipid check. It is a different test from our standard CRP, and it is also included in Heart Health.

Results

The laboratory reports these tests in one to two working days after your sample arrives. You get an email, log in, and every marker is there with its value, unit, the laboratory's reference range and its flag.

More clinics, and longer opening hours

Our laboratory partner expects its clinic network to reach 43 locations across the UK by the end of the year, with a new clinic in Belfast due to open in December. Opening hours have been extended at 13 clinics, and Brighton & Hove is now the first clinic to offer Saturday appointments. You can choose a clinic, and see its times, when you book a venous test at checkout.

Common questions

Do I need a GP referral? No. You order online and the results come to your account.

Which of the new tests can I do at home? Immunity and hs-CRP. Heart Health, Vitamins and Minerals and Insulin Resistance need a venous sample at a partner clinic.

Do I need to fast? Only for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR): at least 8 hours with plain water.

These tests give information, not a diagnosis. If a result is outside the laboratory's range, or does not match how you feel, discuss it with your GP or another qualified clinician.